Your Own Yellowstone

Fans of the television drama “Yellowstone,” as well as those who simply long for a quiet way of life far removed from the stress of the city, may be intrigued by this property. Located in Cora, Wyoming, roughly 60 miles south of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the Bar Cross Ranch is a working ranch approximately 12,000 acres in size, plus 23,000 leased acres. The homesteaded ranch dates back to the early 1900s, when it was founded by P.W. Jenkins, a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives. Now, it’s on the market for a price tag of $35 million.

Much of the furniture in the main house was crafted by local artisans 100 years or more ago. (Hall and Hall)

In the 1970s, Jenkins’s grandson, John Perry Barlow, inherited the property. One of Barlow’s more notable hired hands was John F. Kennedy Jr., who worked on the ranch in the summer of 1977. The improvements include the classic Western-style, 4,000-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-bathroom main house with a covered porch, built in 1910 and extensively renovated in 2019; as well as a 1,000-square-foot, one-bedroom, one-bathroom manager’s house that predates the main house. Other accommodations include the 2,300-square-foot foreman’s house with two bedrooms and 2 1/2 bathrooms; a 460-square-foot bunkhouse with a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment; and a 2,600-square-foot maintenance shop with a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment.

The various residences on the ranch have all been carefully maintained and updated over the years to combine Western architecture with modern conveniences. (Hall and Hall)

Other improvements include two barns, an outdoor arena and pen, and a permanent tented retreat at the nearby national forest boundary. The property features 2 1/2 miles of trout fishing on the New Fork River, eight miles of Willow Creek, a 40-acre lake, and wildlife, including elk, moose, mule deer, and antelope. A gravel airstrip on the property provides access by small aircraft.

Unlike “hobby ranches,” this property is an actual working ranch, where the livestock aren’t accessories but are raised as an ongoing business. (Hall and Hall)

The current owners have invested approximately $7.5 million in infrastructure maintenance and capital improvements, including three new headgates for the irrigation system managing the property’s extensive water rights, new corrals, and 60 miles of wildlife-friendly fencing. While it certainly would make an ideal home for a family seeking to escape city life, the Bar Cross Ranch is an actual active working ranch and includes the former Willow Creek Ranch and its improvements.

Bar Cross Ranch
Cora, Wyo.
$35 Million

8 bedrooms, 7.5 baths
7,800 square feet
12,035 deeded acres
23,000 leased acres

Key Features:
Working ranch
Multiple homes and outbuildings
Gravel airstrip
Water rights

Agent
James H. Taylor
Hall and Hall
Billings, Mont.
(406) 656-7500